{"title":"Books by Philip Norman","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781398513433","title":"George Harrison","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of the million-copy selling \u003ci\u003eShout!: The Beatles in Their Generation\u003c\/i\u003e and the bestselling \u003ci\u003eJohn Lennon: The Life comes \u003c\/i\u003ea revealing portrait of George Harrison, the most undervalued and mysterious Beatle.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now, acclaimed Beatles biographer Philip Norman examines Harrison through the lens of his numerous self-contradictions. Compared to songwriting luminaries John Lennon and Paul McCartney he was considered a minor talent, yet he composed such masterpieces as ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and ‘Here Comes the Sun’, and his solo debut album \u003ci\u003eAll Things Must Pass\u003c\/i\u003e achieved enormous success, appearing on many lists of the 100 best rock albums ever. Modern music critics place him in the pantheon of Sixties guitar gods alongside Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Harrison railed against the material world yet wrote the first pop song complaining about income tax. He spent years lovingly restoring his Friar Park estate as a spiritual journey, but quickly mortgaged the property to help rescue a film project that would be widely banned as sacrilegious, Monty Python’s\u003ci\u003e Life of Brian\u003c\/i\u003e. Harrison could be fiercely jealous, but not only did he stay friends with Eric Clapton when Clapton fell in love with Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd, the two men grew even closer after Clapton walked away with her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnprecedented in scope and filled with numerous colour photos, this rich biography captures George Harrison at his most multi-faceted: devoted friend, loyal son, master guitar-player, brilliant songwriter, cocaine addict, serial philanderer, global philanthropist, student of Indian mysticism, self-deprecating comedian and, ultimately, iconic artist and man beloved by millions.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44582979928242,"sku":"9781398513433","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57697048592757,"sku":"9781398513402","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398513433.jpg?v=1793083587"},{"product_id":"9780007197422","title":"John Lennon","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe final word on music’s greatest legend, in which Philip Norman reveals a John Lennon the world has never seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith ground-breaking insight into the pain, beauty and frustration that shaped the genius of modern music, John Lennon: The Definitive Biography redefines a legend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn Lennon – the iconic songwriter, composer and one quarter of The Beatles – was a giant of the twentieth century. As the founding member of the world's most successful group ever, he changed lives. The popularity and significance of The Beatles is beyond comparison in our age – in the UK alone, they released more than 40 number one singles and albums. But their impact extended well beyond their music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir clothes, hairstyles, statements, and even their choice of instruments made them trend-setters from the 1960s to this day, while their growing social awareness – reflected in the development of their music – saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.Following the painful collapse of The Beatles, John came out a wiser but angrier person. Together with his wife Yoko Ono, he attempted to transform the world through non-musical means. Their bed-in in Amsterdam and Montreal, their black bag appearances on stage, their innocent flirting with political activists and radicals, all received massive media attention. These events were in search of world peace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn Lennon was shot dead by a mentally disturbed fan outside his New York apartment building on December 8, 1980.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing previously unseen photographs, this truly is the definitive John Lennon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56219906670965,"sku":"9780007197422","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780007197422_15a55627-4ff4-489d-a84e-866436a0d81f.jpg?v=1785658701"},{"product_id":"9780007329519","title":"Mick Jagger","description":"\u003cp\u003eA miracle of still-plentiful hair, raw sex-appeal, and strutting talent . The frontman of one of the most influential and controversial groups of all time. A musical genius with a career spanning over four decades. He is a testament to British glamour, the ultimate architect and demi-god of rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBestselling biographer Philip Norman offers an unparalleled account of the life of a living legend, Mick Jagger. From Home Counties schoolboy, to rebel without a cause to Sixties rock sensation and global idol, Norman unravels with astonishing intimacy the myth of the inimitable frontman of The Rolling Stones. MICK JAGGER charts his extraordinary journey through scandal-ridden conspiracy, infamous prison spell, hordes of female admirers and a knighthood while stripping away the colossal fame, wealth and idolatry to reveal a story of talent and promise unfulfilled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnderstated yet ostentatious; the ultimate incarnation of modern man's favourite fantasy: 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll', yet blessed with taste and intelligence; a social chameleon who couldn't blend in if he tried; always moving with the Jagger swagger yet modest enough to be self-deprecating, Mick was a paradoxical energy that reconfigured the musical landscape. This revelatory tour de force is ample tribute to a flawed genius, a Casanova, an Antichrist and a god who, with characteristic nonchalance realised the dreams of thousands of current contenders and rocker pretenders, longevity, while coasting on a sea of fur rugs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220300542325,"sku":"9780007329519","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780007329519_28544f28-2da2-443b-b67f-4cbc995552e5.jpg?v=1785658893"},{"product_id":"9781474606578","title":"Slowhand","description":"\u003cp\u003eEric Clapton is acknowledged to be rock's greatest virtuoso, the unrivalled master of its most essential tool, the solid-body electric guitar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClapton transfigured three of the 1960s' most iconic bands - the Yardbirds, Cream and Blind Faith - walking away from each when it failed to measure up to his exacting standards. He was the only outsider be an honorary member of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and the studio musician of choice for solo superstars from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin. No life has been more rock 'n' roll than Clapton's in his epic consumption of drugs and alcohol, his insatiable appetite for expensive cars, clothes and women - most famously revealed when he fell in love with Pattie Boyd, the wife of his best friend, George Harrison, and the inspiration for 'Layla'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the benefit of unrestricted access to family members, close friends and fellow musicians, and his encyclopedic knowledge of Sixties music and culture, Philip Norman has created the definitive portrait of this brilliant insecure, often pain-racked man.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300454805877,"sku":"9781474606578","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781474606578_5cbf6ecd-28cd-48f2-84a3-43104fd18fd5.jpg?v=1786020655"},{"product_id":"9781474611503","title":"Wild Thing","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music,' says Jimi Hendrix's citation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. James Marshall Hendrix remains unique as an African American who broke out of the traditional 'Black' genres of blues, r\u0026amp;b and soul to play hard rock to an overwhelmingly white audience, almost single-handedly creating what became known as heavy metal.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith unprecedented access to Jimi's younger brother, Leon, the two most important women in his life and numerous previously untapped sources, bestselling music biographer Philip Norman resurrects the real Jimi from the almost mythical icon who has continued to influence young guitarists. His death in 1970, aged only twenty-seven when his fame was at its height, has long been rock's greatest unsolved mystery. But finally we learn where the responsibility lay for Jimi's lonely, squalid end.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An engaging memorial to a rock revolutionary whose music, in contrast to many of his revered Sixties peers, retains much of its explosively thrilling voodoo power' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301435388277,"sku":"9781474611503","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781474611503_af17542b-02b8-4283-9b76-eb64356d6f8e.jpg?v=1786020776"},{"product_id":"9781780226408","title":"Paul McCartney","description":"\u003cp\u003e'A thorough, objective telling of McCartney's story - in and out of the most famous band ever.' ESQUIRE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first biography written with McCartney's approval and with access to family members and friends closest to him.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2013, Sir Paul McCartney granted Philip Norman 'tacit approval' as his biographer. The result is a masterly and complex portrait of the most successful songwriter in history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt gives a unique insight into McCartney's childhood, blighted by the loss of his mother when he was fourteen, and into the creative symbiosis and fierce rivalry between John Lennon and himself that powered the Beatles' music. Here, too, for the first time, is the full story of McCartney's triumphant but troubled post-Beatles years: the tragic death of his first wife, Linda, and the chaotic divorce from his second wife, Heather Mills.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaul McCartney\u003c\/i\u003e is the definitive life of a long-misunderstood genius that superbly evokes half a century of popular music and culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304060399989,"sku":"9781780226408","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781780226408_b7896973-7ea8-4b59-a602-150f8b0f3fa9.jpg?v=1786024241"},{"product_id":"9781912914463","title":"We Danced On Our Desks","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \"Absolutely fabulous!\"  - Sir Ray Davies.The Kinks\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"We Danced On Our Desks offers a window on another lost world, a silver age of journalism when a magazine could please itself and celebrities would wait to be invited into its charmed circle. It's also an unbeatable portrait of a writer finding his voice amid the distractions of a dementedly sybaritic decade.\" - The Observer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"It's wonderful. It intrigued and amused and delighted ... done with wit, verve, charm and self-deprecation.\" - bestselling author Anthony Quinn\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A classic of its genre.\" - author David Taylor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWE DANCED ON OUR DESKS\u003c\/em\u003e is a compelling, entertaining and thrilling look at acclaimed journalist and writer Philip Norman's experiences working on the Sunday Times Magazine at the height of its popularity in the 60s and 70s. From incredible interviews with the Beatles to Bob Dylan, Gaddafi to Indira Ghandi, and through seismic historical events such as the Vietnam War, Philip provides a vibrant cultural insight into the Swinging Sixties and uniquely documents key events in his own incredible life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eprovides a unique front row seat to the seminal events and the people who defined a generation and continue to impact us today\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eit's a compelling story of an extraordinary life, as a young man moves from a provincial existence headfirst into the heady world of the Swinging Sixties in all its provocative glory\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003egives an addictive first-hand account of work and life at The Sunday Times Magazine, one of the world's most influential publications\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes interviews with many icons of the rock, film, political and media worlds, including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, P.G. Wodehouse, J.R.R Tolkein, Truman Capote, David Hockney, Philip Roth, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Johnny Cash, the Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, the Everly Brothers, King Hussein of Jordan, Indira Gandhi, and President Gadaffi.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhilip has led - and is leading - an extraordinary life, full of drama, emotion, experience and positivity. His book is not simply a snapshot of a particular time in history, or remembrances of famous people and places, but a genuinely revealing and compelling account of a life lived and lived well.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313158631797,"sku":"9781912914463","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781912914463_d5895fc5-6096-4f94-9ebd-baad126d55f6.jpg?v=1786031100"},{"product_id":"9781398542266","title":"Mr Moonlight","description":"'Superb, detailed research and analysis of how four ordinary boys from Liverpool took over the world, through the lens of the man who made it all happen’ Daily Telegraph‘A crisply written canter through Epstein’s rich and mysterious life’ SpectatorThe definitive biography of Brian Epstein – the man who made the Beatles – by leading Beatles biographer Philip Norman.   Brian Epstein didn’t just manage the Beatles – he transformed them into the most famous band the world has ever known. A young record-shop owner from Liverpool, he took four relatively unknown musicians and set out to make them ‘bigger than Elvis’, changing pop music, celebrity and British culture forever. Only a few years older than John, Paul, George and Ringo, he called them ‘the Boys’, guiding, protecting and relentlessly believing in them as no one else did. Without Brian Epstein, there would have been no Beatles as we know them.   Brian’s achievement in a profession in which he had no experience remains astonishing. A passionate devotee of classical music, he was nevertheless instrumental in shaping a new kind of pop that would revolutionise its sound, its business and Britain’s image around the world. Yet for all his achievements, he received no public honour – and scarcely any thanks.   Drawing on a remarkable cache of exclusive interviews with those closest to him, Philip Norman delivers the most intimate and revealing portrait yet of this complex, conflicted and ultimately tragic figure. Mr Moonlight reveals the depths of Brian’s many trials and tribulations – how he almost lost the Beatles to organised crime; the antisemitism and homophobia he endured even at the height of his success; his intense and fraught relationship with John Lennon; and the haunting circumstances of his lonely death during the so-called Summer of Love.   At once revelatory and deeply moving, Mr Moonlight restores Brian Epstein to his rightful place at the heart of the Beatles’ story.   ‘A highly proficient book that is entertaining and well written. And also necessary. I am sure it will be regarded as the standard book on Epstein for some time' The Times","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56368763732341,"sku":"9781398542266","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682667635061,"sku":"9781398542303","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398542266_4633e222-6508-4111-8420-0bc5423b227d.jpg?v=1792511589"},{"product_id":"shout","title":"Shout!","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first and best Beatles biography, Norman had close working relationships with each of the Fab Four, having interviewed them many times since 1965 and observed first hand the events that led to the split during 1969-70. The resulting book contained unique insights into the rise of the Beatles, their final years, the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now fully updated, and written with all of Norman's trademark verve and skill, this is an essential book for anyone with an interest in pop music, the Sixties and the pleasures and perils of god-like fame.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Nothing less than thrilling . . . the definitive biography' \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'This stands as the first (and still the best) collision of Beatles history and literary depth . . . just about everything is rendered with beautiful prose and laser-like insight'\u003ci\u003e Q\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57466788184437,"sku":"9780330487689","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780330487689.jpg?v=1785654850"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-philip-norman.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}